A narrative inquiry into classroom assessment: Stories of six Chinese adult learners of English as a second language

Perceived as an attractive area in the current curriculum field, classroom assessment has been a frequently visited spot during the past decade or so. Recent research findings suggest that classroom assessment should become more fundamentally part of the learning process. Researchers and educators are aware that classroom assessment may be seen as both learning process and learning outcomes. Until now, many stories of classroom assessment, including second language classroom assessment, have been told from the teacher/instructor's perspective. But what does classroom assessment mean to learners, especially second language learners? This remains an unaddressed research puzzle.; The purpose of this study is to provide insights into what classroom assessment means to Chinese adult learners of English as a second language (ESL). To this end, I used narrative inquiry as my research methodology. Through representation and interpretation of stories lived and told by six Chinese adult ESL learners, I came to the conclusion that the meaning of classroom assessment to these ESL learners varies from person to person, and their perceptions of classroom assessment alter with the changing landscape of classroom assessment.; The study reveals that assessment in the ESL classroom (a) can be viewed as a way of knowing, a model of power, and a space in-between; (b) can be understood as a concept that embraces the notion of second language acquisition (SLA) which identifies individual factors in relation to SLA; (c) provides opportunities for social interaction which will result in effective ESL learning; and (d) allows for self-directed learning. The study also suggests that there are interrelationships between teaching, learning, and assessment.; Theories and research findings of classroom assessment that fall into the field of curriculum studies that are closely linked to SLA are woven into my understanding and interpretation of the Chinese adult ESL learners' stories. Sharing the ideas that there are multiple ways of knowing and that different ways of knowing complement each other, I am open to intellectual possibilities with the belief that the meaning of classroom assessment is subject to multiple interpretations.; Research participants in this study were chosen from the Chinese visiting scholars and landed immigrants who were studying or had just finished studying in the ESL programs at a Canadian university at the time the study was conducted. I chose Chinese adult ESL learners as research participants mainly because (a) there is a large group of Chinese adult learners in China and abroad learning ESL (the latter case including visiting scholars and landed immigrants); (b) I am a Chinese immigrant with experiences of learning ESL both in China and in Canada. Thus, the study can be situated in the social/cultural context where I have both an insider and outsider's perspective in keeping with the narrative framework used in my research.; In this study, I assume the dual roles of researcher and participant: an adult ESL learner and narrative researcher who lived, told, interpreted and presented stories of classroom assessment. My personal experience of being assessed in the ESL classroom shapes my perception of classroom assessment and facilitates my understanding of the stories lived and told by the research participants.